South Africa cruised past the West Indies (SA vs WI) by nine wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, putting themselves right in the basket of the semi-finals from Group A. With this Proteas win and if India beats Zimbabwe in their next game, the upcoming India-West Indies match turns into a straight-up knockout as the winner goes through as the second team to the semis.
Chasing 177, South Africa’s openers Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram set the tone early. They smashed 69 runs in the powerplay and basically grabbed control of the match right there. Their partnership for the first wicket hit 95 runs. Markram stood out, hitting an unbeaten 82 off just 46 balls, peppering the boundary with seven fours and four sixes.
Earlier, West Indies put up 176 for eight in their 20 overs. They stumbled out of the gate, losing seven wickets for just 83 runs. Then Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder stepped up, putting together a solid 89-run stand for the eighth wicket in just 57 balls.
Indian fans were glued for the result in this all-important clash. With South Africa’s win, India needs to bag victories in both of their remaining matches So, no worrying about run rate and if they just win and they are in the last four of the tournament.
Brief Scores:
South Africa- 177/1 (Aiden Markram 82, Quinton de Kock 47) defeated West Indies– 176/8 (Romario Shepherd 52, Lungi Ngidi 3/30) by 9 wickets.
West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Shai Hope (wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Ford, Gudakesh Moti, Shamar Joseph
South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brewis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi
